Painter Popo's legacy safely preserved

Painter Popo's legacy safely preserved

By Matdon

BANDUNG (JP): Popo Iskandar is regarded one of Indonesia's
artists who carved his name in golden ink in local fine arts
history.

Popo, who passed away on Jan. 29, 2000, is survived by his
wife and eleven children. He had a very long list of activities
during his lifetime and great influence on his contemporaries.

His death has left a noble arts legacy: a generation now in
search of their identity, masterpieces and his unique composition
of a cat, a cock and a lion, a combination of which can be found
in all his works. His death was a big blow to the local fine arts
world, but man is after all mortal.

Popo was known as an artist developing in painting the
impressionistic, linear-cubist, expressionist and abstract
styles. He expressed his ideas prolifically in the mass media on
arts, regeneration of artists, arts education, promotion of
community appreciation and strategies for arts popularization.

Immediately after Popo's death, his family members, relatives,
and other artists were quick to set up a museum called Griya Seni
Popo Iskandar (GSPI/Popo Iskandar's Arts House), where all his
works will be kept for posterity. As a matter of fact, the plan
to build this museum had already been nurtured when he held his
retrospective exhibition in 1999 at the National Gallery in
Jakarta.

This museum was built to preserve Popo's works by documenting
his works, including his activities and the development of his
works, so that the broader community can observe and appreciate
these works. GSPI is also complete with a fine arts gallery, a
temporary exhibition room for the development of young artists, a
library and documentation of works of art and culture which the
public can make use of.

GSPI is located not far from Popo's residence, namely in front
of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (formerly IKIP Bandung)
campus, Jl. Dr. Setiabudi No. 268 Bandung, Phone No. 022-2014770,
e-mail: